


Creative Apologies

by HyperKid



Series: Modern AU [2]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Caleb is mad, Fluff, Frumpkin the Fey King cameo, Humour, Jester makes a present, Modern AU, Multi, Other, apology presents, biggest sorry, if the Zadash conversation happened in our time, the best apology is cat butt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-23
Updated: 2019-11-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:28:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21534481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HyperKid/pseuds/HyperKid
Summary: Jester Lavorre’s gotten pretty good at admitting she’s fucked up. This time, the Traveler has an idea of how she can make it right.
Relationships: Beau/Yasha/Jester/Caleb/Fjord/Mollymauk/Caduceus, Polynein
Series: Modern AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1545967
Comments: 14
Kudos: 139





	Creative Apologies

**Author's Note:**

> HK: I just... my brain is full of words? And I’ve wanted to do this one for a while?  
> Mollymauk: I can see why. Do more with me.  
> HK: Molly I have so many WIPs.  
> Mollymauk: So do it real fast like this one so it doesn’t add to them?  
> HK: ... But... but I want less WIPs.  
> Mollymauk: So do ones about me?  
> HK: I mean, it’d be nice if it were that easy. Having any kind of control, really.  
> Mollymauk: But here we are?  
> HK: But here we are.  
> Mollymauk: So write more with me. 
> 
> WARNINGS!! Not much of any, really? 
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing and no one!

It doesn’t exactly matter what Jester had said in the first place. She could be tactless, certainly. She’d talk without thinking, and sometimes it got her into trouble. 

Much worse than that, sometimes it hurt her friends. 

Caleb didn’t actually say anything back of course; that kind of made it worse. He just stared at her, his expression closing off and away. Then he turned and walked away. 

It squished her down inside, made her feel small and stupid. Made her wish for a way to call the words back. For stronger words than “I’m sorry”. 

Of course, the Traveler was a constant source of comfort in times of trouble. 

***

“Why don’t you show him instead of just telling him?” A large, cool hand stroked gently through her hair. 

Jester looked up, tears gleaming on her cheeks in the phone light. She’d waited til the others had gone to bed before calling him, like she almost always did, but it hadn’t taken more than recounting the story to pull all the bad feelings back out. 

“How?” She asked just a little shakily, hating the weakness in her voice. 

The Traveler smiled down at her, teeth bright inside his hood. 

“You’re a creative girl. Make him something. Perhaps a card, or a painting?” 

Chewing her lower lip, Jester rested her chin on curled up knees. 

“I don’t think it’s just a card kind of situation, though...” 

The Traveler’s grin only broadened. 

“Then let’s think a little... bigger.” 

*** 

The rest of the Nein were more than used to Jester’s art projects by now, so when she made some almost-discrete rounds to collect pictures of Frumpkin, they all assumed it was for a class. Maybe a personal project. She didn’t go straight to Caleb, but... well. It wasn’t exactly hard to see that they weren’t speaking. 

When she started stalking the cat with her phone camera, he must have noticed. Molly insisted that the immediate twist to lick his own ass was a sign of the wizard’s continuing annoyance. 

For some reason, Jester didn’t seem even half as upset by that as she had the day before. She’d just snapped a few photos, giggling, and spent the rest of the day in her and Beau’s room, emerging occasionally to track down and photograph Frumpkin again. 

As her closest confidant, it wasn’t exactly a surprise to see Beau pop her own phone out occasionally over the next day to take a picture. 

Having something to do always helped to improve Jester’s mood. 

Caleb still didn’t speak to her at dinner, sitting at the opposite end of the table, but for once she didn’t push. She was polite, passed anything anyone needed, and was in general cheerful in a way that was deeply suspicious. 

No one hated interhouse conflict more than Jester. 

*** 

It also turned out that if you threw enough money around, you could get almost anything on the internet. Very, very quickly. 

A package arrived the next morning, hand delivered by a young elf who was absolutely not expecting the delivery to be received by a squeaking blue blur who thrust gold into his hands and disappeared immediately. 

Back in her rooms, Jester tugged the package open and examined the contents critically. 

“What do you think?” She asked Beau, holding it up and turning it around for the monk to see. 

A reluctant grin tugged its way across Beau’s lips. 

“He’s gonna fucking love it.” 

Jester beamed and hugged the package to her chest, twisting happily. 

“Oh I hope so! I’m going to give it to him now!” 

**

Caleb was a little surprised when Jester came directly to his room not long after breakfast; while most of his anger had faded over the previous day, he was still annoyed. And still suspicious over what she had planned. 

The fact that she was buzzing with excitement did not help his suspicions, and he almost closed the door on her. But she thrust something towards him and he paused. 

“I’m reeeeeally sorry about what I said,” Jester blurted quickly, her tail flicking through a series of shapes behind her, “so I wanted to give you something special. You’re a reeeeeally important friend and I love you very much, and I’m very sorry I upset you!” 

Large lilac eyes looked at him so beseechingly, Caleb felt the last of his irritation melt away. 

It wasn’t like he didn’t know Jester was... awkward, sometimes. Her socialization was even more limited than his own. 

“You do not have to give me anything, Jester,” he said quietly, still not taking the package. It wouldn’t contain a prank, not when he was already angry with her, but that didn’t mean he wanted whatever it was. 

Jester shook her head though, pressing it towards him. 

“I kinda do though. It was really dumb, and you’re a lot more important to me than that. Just have a look? If you don’t like it I can send it back or whatever. I made it specially,” she added, her voice wavering just a little. 

Caleb hesitated a moment longer. He didn’t think she’d try and buy his friendship back, not when the initial comment had been about money to begin with. That just wasn’t how Jester thought about the world. 

And something she’d made? 

Hoping it wasn’t a pastry, he reluctantly took the small lump from her. It was soft, stuffed into a plastic bag that looked a lot like one from the mall. He had to turn it over to find the opening and looked inside. 

She had included a card, in the end. It wasn’t like she’d spent a lot of either night sleeping. 

Caleb pulled that out first and opened it, a smile pulling itself across his face. It was rather simplistic, the front bearing a quickly sketched picture of the two of them and Frumpkin, from one of the first photos they’d ever taken together. 

It was a somewhat awkward selfie, Jester beaming and clutching Caleb just a little closer than he’d expected, but both were smiling. She’d managed to capture so much of the joy of that moment, riding high on some small victory. 

Just seeing it made Caleb smile again. 

The short message inside pulled a snort of laughter from him and he rolled his eyes. 

“You’re dreadful,” he told her, but fondly enough that she brightened up immediately. “This did not need a dirty limerick.” 

“But you like my limericks,” Jester pointed out innocently, bouncing up on her toes. 

Unable to argue with that, Caleb returned his attention to the bag. Frowned into it. 

“Jester, what...” Words failed him. Reaching in, Caleb pulled out a t-shirt in his size, shaking the bag to the floor. 

At first glance, it looked like a regular cat print. 

Well. 

Regular if you liked the sort where every millimetre of space was taken up by a collage of cat pictures in various poses and orientations. 

The slightly larger picture, front and center, of a cat with one leg in the air, licking its ass hinted at a deeper possibility. 

Caleb could damn well recognize his own familiar. 

She’d taken every photo, either of Frumpkin or with him in it, and smushed them together to make a collage. And had it printed front and back on a shirt for him. 

There’d been some thought put in too, spacing and poses, different expressions balanced out to give an artistic flow if you looked long enough. 

It was an effort for Caleb to wrench his attention away from it to look at her again. 

With nothing to hold, her hands had clasped themselves in front of her, her tail still twisting behind her as she watched him hopefully. Searching his face for approval, or any sign that he liked it. 

Which did remind him to close his mouth, at least. It only seemed to close into a smile. 

“Jester...” he paused, grinned, and tried again. “You are ridiculous. Thank you for this.” 

“Does that mean you’re not mad anymore?” She asked hopefully. 

Shaking his head, Caleb pulled her into a quick hug. 

“No, I’m not mad. This is wonderful.” 

Squeaking with delight, Jester wrapped her arms around him and squeezed tightly, lifting him off the ground a little in her excitement. Caleb grunted and patted her gently on the back as she released him. 

“But please, be more thoughtful, ja?” 

Jester nodded immediately, chagrin overtaking her joy as she looked up through her lashes at him. 

“I’ll try, I promise. I really just didn’t think about it.” 

“I figured as much,” Caleb admitted quietly, patting her on the shoulder once again. “We are good.” 

Smiles just looked so much more natural on her. Jester brightened at his words, leaned up enough to press a kiss to his cheek. 

“Thanks, Caleb.” Then she stepped back, grinning. “I have to go finish some stuff up, but if you wanna go out later we could go to the park or something?” 

“The library?” Caleb offered back, and knew she was still sorry when she just nodded instead of teasing him. 

“Okay! After lunch?” 

“After lunch. I need to put this away.” Raising the shirt, Caleb turned back into his room. 

By the time Caleb closed the door, Frumpkin was already in his archfey form, circling the shirt slowly. His expression was unreadable as he examined it from every angle, head cocked like the cat he usually was. 

Caleb was pretty sure he’d already seen the slightly larger picture, center chest, of himself licking his own ass. 

It was very, very Jester. 

Finally the archfey sniffed, tossing himself onto the bed and scowling at Caleb. 

“Do you intend to wear it?” He asked disdainfully. 

Caleb fought a smile, taking a seat on the corner bed furthest from him. 

“It is one of the most thoughtful gifts I have ever received,” he told his familiar quietly. Frumpkin immediately snorted. 

“What those thoughts were is more questionable.” 

The corners of Caleb’s lips rose as his gaze dropped to the shirt once more. That was... kind of indisputable. 

“I believe I know what she was thinking.” 

She was thinking it’d make him smile. That he loved his cat, that he should be surrounded by love at all times. That he’d appreciate the silly side. 

The original sweet intention was still kinda there, even under her absurdity. 

His gaze rose to meet Frumpkin’s almost challengingly. 

“I’m going to wear it.” 

For a moment he wondered if the fey would shout. Would forbid him to do it, would destroy the shirt for bearing his likeness in so very many undignified positions. 

Their eyes locked for a long moment. 

Then Frumpkin sighed dramatically, rolled onto his back, and flailed in Caleb’s general direction. 

“If you really must. But not if you visit my domain. Oh...” The sudden, speculative tone was distinctly worrying, especially when an amber eye peered over, “and if we ever do show your friends who I am, I’m borrowing it.” 

It took quite a lot of effort not to actually laugh. 

“You know Jester will only find that funny,” he managed, shoulders shaking in suppressed giggles. Frumpkin raised a brow archly at him. 

“Of course. I’m hilarious.” 

**Author's Note:**

> HK: I’ve had this modern AU simmering on the back burner for so long cuz I thought I should do it chronologically and make sense and shit. I was horribly, horribly wrong.


End file.
